


Change of Pace

by ededneddie



Category: Venom (Comics)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22657801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ededneddie/pseuds/ededneddie
Summary: With Venom braindead and Eddie stuck with The Maker, how will Eddie escape? And how will one single choice affect the rest of his life?(Starts at volume 4 issue 6, becomes heavily canon divergent)
Relationships: Eddie Brock/Flash Thompson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kinda nervous about sharing my AU since it's gotten generally negative reactions, but I hope at least someone enjoys it as much as I do.

It was quiet. Artificial wind was howling as Eddie Brock, the human half of Venom, stood in front of an equally artificial grave. **IN LOVING MEMORY OF FLASH THOMPSON** was carved into the tombstone, and even though it was fake, Eddie felt a rush of emotions seeing it. There was a long pause, taking in the scene and sorting through his own emotions, before he started. "Hey, Flash," it was low, quiet, like a whisper between friends. Even if they'd been anything but. "Not sure what I'm supposed to say, really. Feels kinda... Wrong, you know?" There was a beat of deafening silence, no response from the grave or his Other, "Me being here... Instead of you. My Other-" He paused to sigh, shutting his eyes. When he reopened them, he was still looking at the cold cobblestone. "Our Other, I guess I should say," he swallowed hard, not wanting to admit the obvious truth, "It always liked you better. Hell, everyone did, I guess." Eddie frowned. "I always acted like it didn't bother me. Like, I was the original, so I was just the... I don't know... Original, or something. But the truth is..." He could feel tears stinging at his eyes, making his face colder from the wind. "It rips me up, Flash. It thinks about you, the Other. All the time. It doesn't think I know that, but... I do. I can feel it. Even now, with it's voice gone, I can still feel it... Pulling towards you... It's..." Eddie took another moment to catch himself from crying. It wouldn't help anything, especially being where he was. Showing weakness would be like rolling onto his belly. He would be resolute. "It's just tough being someone's second best, you know?" His voice cracked despite this. Mentally cursing himself, he looked away from the grave, guilt and remorse and memories of their time, their fights, everything in between flooding the few seconds of pure silence.

"Are you quite done?" The impatient voice came from behind him, from the too-long body and slim face half covered by technology of The Maker, sitting on a random tombstone behind him. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm done." Eddie was brought back to reality, sighing lightly. "Very well. Now..." Maker reached down, pressing a button, and in a moment it all fell away. Cold winds stopped, revealing the too-sanitary smell of the room, snow melting and dissipating into thin air to reveal sleek, clean flooring underneath. "... Where were we?"

Eddie looked down to his hands, a form fitting, Venom-emblazoned leather jacket falling away with the illusion to reveal the plain black shirt and jeans underneath. "You just told me my Other was brain-dead. After telling me it's been erasing parts of my mind." It was all back to normal now. The room was quiet, save for him. "And that you stole a piece of the Dragon Symbiote and that someone stole it from you. And you accused me of being involved in all of this insane shit without ever telling me why you want that sample or who you work for." Reed was quiet for a beat, the only sound in the room being coffee being poured into a mug. "'Where were we' was more or less a rhetorical question, Edward. I have a photographic memory. But it's nice to know you've been paying attention."

Eddie tilted his head up, getting a sly look on his face before he spoke. "You're smart. I get that. So you must know I had nothing to do the theft of that sample. When do I get to go home?" Granted, he wasn't exactly sure where he'd go, but anywhere other than sitting in this sterile room with a madman was good. Maker set the container of coffee down, not even looking at Eddie before speaking, "I suspect you are right, yes. But I also suspect that your Other may know things that you do not. So until such time that my curiosity is sated, I'm afraid you have my attention." He moved to sit across from Eddie, finally giving the muscular man a once-over. "Where is home, Edward? Your apartment has been vacated. You've not been there for a month or so, after all. Is it your father's home in San Francisco?" Maker sat down, cautious to be sure the man across from him wasn't angered by his questions. He seemed annoyed, sure, but not angry. So he continued, "Your Other took you there during your escape. Perhaps that was some buried desire to return home it was responding to? What would that be, I wonder? By all accounts, your childhood was rather-"

"There's only so much more of this I'm going to take." Eddie leaned forward, annoying fading to anger. Maker must've struck a nerve, he thought, looking over the gruff man attempting to glare him down. "I'll dictate how much more of this you will take. Where would you go if I let you leave?" Eddie didn't even miss a beat. "I'd go see the real Flash Thompson's grave, for one." With a smug grin, Maker held the coffee cup near his lips. "Hmmm." He deliberated for a moment, giving him one last look over before deciding. "Let me show you something, Edward." With one swift motion, Maker set down the coffee and produced a small vial. It was clear, save for a bit of black swirling inside. He gave a smug grin as he watched Eddie's face turn from anger to confusion. "I give you Corporal Eugene "Flash" Thompson. Or rather... The most interesting part of him."  
Eddie's realization was quick, to the point he couldn't hide it from Maker. There was no response from the man, so Maker continued, "Project PEGASUS was a rather blunt organization, but they did keep extensive biological samples of their... Subjects. From a blood test taken from before Flash's time as Anti-Venom, I was able to ascertain something about our symbiotic friends." He flicked the vial out, to give Eddie a better view of its contents. They swirled in an uneasy, mindless fashion, shaken from the quick movements.

"See, we've discovered that the Symbiote never truly leaves a host. A cellular imprint, a Codex as we've been calling it, is always left behind as a way for their kind to share information about hosts with the rest of the hive. Your Symbiote has not been connected to the hive in some time, however. So this codex, and the others it's left behind, have more or less gone unused." Maker stood up, waving the codex like it was his life's greatest discovery. "But they are there. Wrapped around the host's DNA structure like a great, black serpent. Always... Waiting. Which is why, Edward," he opened a slit in the wall, steam pouring out. Maker carefully put it back in it's place, amongst several other vials, "the sample of the Symbiote dragon is so important. We believe it could contain information about the Symbiote species and mankind as a whole that could revolutionize scientific process as we know-"

During all this, Venom stirred, quietly, churning in Eddie's gut. The Codex drew it out, being pulled towards it practically. It bristled around Eddie's shirt, wordlessly filling the gaps. Flash. Gone. Still there. The codex, him but not him. Everything about him that Venom loved, that Venom hated, that it missed, in that vial. Eddie's anger started boiling, invigorated by the Symbiote's empathic imprint. "Hold on. What does that mean? What does that have to do with me?"

"Nothing. Well, not yet at least. But, I believe there is a way to reactivate your Symbiote's connection to the hive by bonding these trace amounts of its living symbiotic codex to living tissue. So the next step is to exhume Flash Thompson's grave and retrieve his body from Arlington National, at which point we can-" The anger had bubbled over, Symbiote extending from just a shirt to his arms and neck, eyes rolling back into his head and filling with an inky darkness that was both foreign and familiar. So close yet so far, still disjointed from his Other. That only made him angrier. "You're... Wait... You're going to dig up Flash's body? What the hell is the matter with you?"  
"Don't be sentimental. It's not Flash Thompson. It's an empty vessel." Jagged, sharp teeth fell from Eddie's gums into their rightful places, jaw extending as his anger only grew. As did his size, Venom dutifully suiting him up. He flexed long talons as Maker still had his back to Venom, not seemingly worried. "His body has information about your kind that I need. Specifically his pancreas, spinal fluid, and adrenal-"

With a shout of anger, Eddie threw his full force into Maker, using a clawed arm to slam him into the wall. "Leave... Flash... Alone!" It was his own voice, but he was voicing his Other's thoughts. Maker's body contorted, twisting in inhuman ways- but he was fine, overall. The perks of being Reed Richards. "Hmmm. Seems I've woken the dog up. Very well." He stretched up, hands elongating into talons of their own. Venom separated from Eddie, twisting tendrils around the scientist.

Eddie, thinking fast, rushed to one of the holes in the wall, recognizing them as cold body storage. "Hold him back!" He shouted, knowing Venom would hear it. He knew why Venom was so angry, he felt the same. They had to protect Flash from this monster. Venom wrangled Maker down, wrapping around him tight as Eddie threw the door to one of the holes open. "No!" Maker shouted, but it quickly fell to screams as Venom forced him into the storage.  
Venom quickly returned to Eddie as he slammed the door shut. It held the codex like a prize, and Eddie shook his head quickly. "Ok, that's good. Come on," he quickly turned to the door on the opposite end of the room. "Let's get you the hell out of here." Was he talked to Venom, himself, or the codex? He wasn't quite sure, but he was halfway out the door before he stopped.

Armed guards, each with a sonic gun, stood in the hallway. Upon seeing Eddie, they fired on sight. He recoiled, Venom rippling over his skin in unspoken pain that he felt through their bond. He quickly shut the door, cursing to himself as he tried to think of a way out. Venom was still weak, they wouldn't survive another hit like that. As he thought, Venom acted, grabbing the codex it'd dropped and pulling it close to Eddie's face. He stopped, staring at it in confusion before Venom broke it open. In the course of a minute, Venom shifted. Something quickly changed, like a switch being flipped. He felt Venom- no, this wasn't Venom, it was Flash- suit him up as a voice slowly rose to the top of the confused thoughts and emotions. **"Hey, Brock. You mind if I drive?"** It was distinct; it was Flash. Eddie, with no clue how to react, simply let Flash take control. "Be my guest." If he had a plan, well, he could do it.

Flash jumped into action, whipping out his tendrils to snatch the guns away from the guards, landing on his hands to hold them up with his tendrils and shoot. Guards were ripped through as others watched in half horror, half confusion. Flash grabbed the guns himself, backflipping over the crowd and firing blindly into it as he made his way towards the window. He used a few seconds to pull the pins off of several men's grenades before he shot out a window. As Flash dove through the pane, Eddie couldn't help but admit that Flash was a badass Venom.

\---

That was hours ago. Now, Eddie sat on a park bench, unsure of his next move. Flash had gone silent a while back. Eddie was alone once again with his thoughts, swirling and churning in confusion and loneliness. He looked down, folding his hands over his knees. What was he going to do now?

Slowly, then all at once, he heard a faint whisper. It grew quickly, until it occupied his mind as a heavy cloud. **So, this is awkward...** Eddie bolted upright, words faltering for a moment before he finally stammered out "F- Flash... I thought you were-"  
 **I know what you thought,** Tendrils extended from Eddie and slowly twisted together, **We're bonded now, remember? I'm still here, though, I just had to rest.** Slowly, Flash put himself together. He was in his normal armor, save for his head, which was as human as it could get. Eddie stared into his eyes for a long moment, studying him. It was as if he'd never left: the skin, the armor, the hair, he looked perfect. **I guess I'm still...**

**"Just a codex copy of a dead guy."** Flash spoke, and Eddie felt his heart race. What does this mean? His partner- not Venom anymore, instead Flash Thompson of all people- was sitting next to him, giving him a look over. **"God, this is weird."** Flash mumbled, tapping his chin. Eddie gave a noise similar to something out of Seinfeld before blurting out "No shit!" He dropped his head, letting the realization wash over him. Venom is gone, and instead he's here with Flash Thompson. Someone who he hated, who he fought tooth and nail to get rid of, either out of jealousy or labeling him a monster. **"I'm not really panicking. Maybe this is all too much for me to understand."** Flash looked around. It was a calm day. Nice Spring breeze, barely any clouds, and it was clear of people. Weird for the time of day, but whatever. **"Does this make me a clone? Or maybe an AI of some sort. Oh! Wait, am I a force ghost?"** Eddie let out a soft sob, which brought Flash's attention down to the man. "Does it matter? You exist you- you're... Alive." Flash looked surprised. God, is this guy... Crying? **"Hey, hey... Geez, I didn't know you were so soft, Brock. Or that you cared this much."** He spoke softly, letting out a quiet chuckle. Eddie looked at Flash, taking him in again. "How could I not? You're here. We- we're bonded, we-"

 **"We're in this together."** Flash grinned. Eddie paused, mouth opening as if to say something, but stopping himself. Flash sat back on the bench, **"I guess Team Venom's not in the best shape right now, with me being... Whatever I am. But weirder shit's happened, right?"** Eddie waved a hand dismissively, eyes still transfixed on his new partner. "I can't really rank the events in my life anymore. **"Well, I'm not about to leave you open, pal... Never mind the fact that we can't exactly split up right now."**

Eddie had settled on his thoughts, looking away. "Well, I guess it's about time we came together with our Other..." Flash clapped his shoulder with a grin. **"Yeah. Plus, you'll need my company, right? I think if I was alone, I'd go insane..."** Eddie felt some of that anxiety in his chest melt away. They weren't the best partners in the past, sure, but they could make it work. "Yeah. Yeah, we'll figure this out."

They had each other now, and hey, maybe that was enough.


	2. Roadtrip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie decides to go back to San Francisco and sort out some personal issues. Flash-Venom is decidedly unsure of how to think of his new life as a Symbiote, and has absolutely no clue how to do anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While Cates heavily condensed the 3 day bus ride to just a few pages, I decided to make a chapter out of it. Because, well, Eddie and Flash need some time to breathe and bond (literally and metaphorically).

Eddie sat on the same bench he'd been on a few hours before, when he _truly_ met Flash. Now, however, he's counting his money. "Only $250..." He sighed out. It'd be enough to get him to San Francisco, with a little left over, but he can't say he's not a little worried. He hasn't entirely decided **why** he's going to San Francisco, it's obvious his father hates him, but... Something about it is drawing him back.Flash has been mostly quiet, letting Eddie decide, but now he's pipped up. **"Could always stay in New York. Spider-Man could-"** "No. No Spider-Man. No... Anybody. This is... A personal matter." Eddie looked across the park, which was slowly filling with people out for afternoon walks. If he went quickly, they could catch the afternoon bus and be there in three days. If he wanted, that is.

The indecision was driving Flash insane. His new host's been nothing but indecisive since he came back to his senses. Other than that, he's been very confused about his new form. The _actual_ Flash was sitting somewhere between Eddie's colon and pancreas, but he could see, feel, and hear everything Eddie did. It was disorientating, with so many new senses and _appendages._ He doesn't know what to do, honestly. Eddie hasn't been able to help, his own problems clouding his mind. A mind Flash found hard to ignore, it turns out. He wanted to give Eddie his space, even if he knew Venom didn't, but... Turns out that's harder than it seems.

Eddie finally got up, shoving his wallet back into his pocket. "We might as well go. Flash?" 

**"What's up, quarterback?"** The voice came from his gut.

"I'd... Like you to come out. The bus ride- it's going to be about three days long, I don't want to be..." Alone. He thought it rather than say it, and Flash felt the thought... Somehow. He isn't sure how to respond. Flash always had the impression that Eddie was a meathead and nothing else. Is he seriously scared of being alone? On a bus? When he's the epitome of human masculinity? It gave the Symbiote-man pause.

Once Eddie reached the bus terminal, however, his demeanor changed entirely. He had the air of someone who knew exactly what he was doing, someone entirely independent. Flash watched in a mix of confusion and understanding as Eddie effortlessly ordered a ticket, even joked with the attendant, before sitting down in the corner and practically falling apart. His anxiety came back up, more than ever, and he bounced his leg nervously as he waited for the 5:30 bus.  
 **You ok, big guy?** Flash bit down his disgust of Eddie to ask. He perked up some, glancing around to make sure nobody was close enough to hear before he sighed. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just... Worried."  
 **Care to explain? You haven't exactly told me the game plan, coach.** Eddie paused, not entirely sure of the plan himself, before he shakily continued. "Uh, we're going to San Francisco, and... I'm going to talk to my father." The dread rose in his gut as he explained, which Flash took notice of. He could relate, his dad wasn't exactly all sunshine and roses, either. **That doesn't sound like the best idea, but it's your choice.** Flash fell quiet as Eddie busied himself on his phone.

The bus ride was silent for a while. After they left the terminal, Flash took the same legless shape he had on the bench next to Eddie, loosely staying connected to his host. Eddie tried to make small talk, but the tension was still there. The silence hung in the air for a while, both contemplating their next move. Eddie was worried about Knull, and his father, and Flash being the "new" Venom. Flash was still working through his new existence.  
Flash caught himself staring at Eddie. It was the first time he'd seen the guy up close, at least when they weren't trying to kill each other. He wasn't exactly _handsome,_ but his intelligence and muscles certainly made up for it. He guesses he could be pretty charismatic if he wanted to be, judging by the interactions he's seen. As time slowly ticked by, the sun fell beyond the horizon and the lights in the bus went out.

"We don't switch buses until tomorrow morning," Eddie explained quietly, "I'm going to try to get some rest." Probably a good thing, he looked extremely tired. Flash nodded, looking anywhere but the big man as he settled between the chair and the bus' window. He isn't sure how to do much of _anything_ when he's a normal, blobby Symbiote. At least like this he's **close** to being human. It's not exact, though. He can hear the other rider's heartbeats, feel every tiny bump in the road. Every sense is heightened, from scent to sight to (regrettably, since it stunk) smell. Testing the waters, Flash flexed his gloved hands. They morphed effortlessly, making two silty black claws with the trademark pads on the knuckles. He held them up, examining them. He did the same to his mouth, and it twisted until there were rows upon rows of shark teeth sitting where a normal mouth would. That's enough. He knows he _can_ shift his form, but he's not keen on it.

His gaze went back to Eddie. He was fast asleep now, and shifted at some point to sit in the middle of the chair. That's fine, as long as- a sharp turn caused Eddie to fall onto Flash, laying his head onto Flash's shoulder. Slowly, patiently, Flash tried to move Eddie off of him, but he just falls back. Ok then. He'll just have to live with it. Then, unconsciously, Flash found himself looking through Eddie's memories. A tiny kid sitting in front of an old bunny-eared television, watching the Nixon trial with transfixed eyes. Slightly older kid being teased by other kids, then joining weight lifting. The teenage Eddie participating in sports. It felt pretty familiar, minus Eddie's interest in news throughout. Yet, there was something different, something _distinct._ No real memories of his father. Carl Brock, he parsed from fragments of thoughts. The man was nowhere to be seen, save a few words here or there. There was a heaviness that hung around his memories, the distinct feel of neglect, he decided. His father ignored him? Flash knew about the Sin Eater incident- who didn't- but he didn't know anything else about Eddie. Other than his time as Venom and Anti-Venom, then later Toxin. The memories came up as he thought of them: their fights from the opposite perspective, the feeling of being lost and terrified and angry and vengeful flooded him and he had to stop.  
Flash looked at Eddie, and looked at him in a different light.

\-----

The rest of the 3-day bus fare was full of Eddie and Flash talking. Shooting the shit, playing phone games, daring each other (which stopped once someone saw Flash with the shark teeth). Eddie found himself cheering up just a bit, and Flash found himself enjoying the trip, if only because of the dead air being filled with jokes.

"I was worried, when Maker said Venom was braindead, that I'd be... Alone. I was terrified, desperate for anything but... It wasn't there. I couldn't hear it, I don't think it could hear me." Eddie admitted, and Flash raised an eyebrow. His tone went from jovial to somber pretty quickly, so Flash just shook his head. **"Sorry that happened. At least you have me now."** Flash said, and the words hung in the air like smoke. Eddie looked out the window at the twilight. They'd get to San Francisco in another few minutes, but he was still dreading it. "I have you now..." He repeated quietly, letting the words sit like they'd been before he looked back to Flash. "We should probably get to know each other more, since... Well, we're both in each other's heads now."  
Flash blinked. Shit. He hadn't even realized he was invading Eddie's privacy by looking at his memories until he said that. " **Yeah, we probably should. You wanna go first, or...?"** The bus came to a slow roll, then stopped. They'd arrived. Eddie stood up as Flash fell away, back into Eddie's body. "I'll start, once we're in the city."


	3. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie (me, not Brock) screams as they close the tab for the 50th time on accident, losing all of their progress on the chapter.
> 
> CW: mentions of child death and abuse (at the same level of issue 9 of Venom Volume 4 because thats what its based off of)  
> Oh, also this is where we start to divert from canon pretty heavily, get ready. And Dylan's here. And Mary doesn't exist, because that's a stupid subplot that Cates dropped like dead weight.
> 
> it ends a bit premature because I think the end part of issue 9 sucks and I made the executive decision to say Eddie just stumbled away and nothing else happened.

Eddie walked through familiar roads, the early morning air crisp as barely anyone was out. He was somewhat worried, but it'd more subsided now. Instead, he felt determined. He was going to go talk to his father, and figure out why Venom had sent him here before... All that. "Well, I said I'd start. Uh..." Eddie trailed off, looking at street signs. "My mother died giving birth to me, and I guess my father resents me for that. He never really gave me the time of day, even before..." There was a flash of something, Flash was sure of it, but it was gone before he could recognize it.

 **"My dad wasn't much better,** **"** Flash thought back to his own upbringing. **"Well, he was worse, probably. I mean, he was..."** He trailed off. **"Hey, I know I promised I'd spill the beans on all this, but I'm actually really tired. Is it ok if I just... Get some rest?"**

Eddie stopped, looking up at a specific street sign. He heard the words, but they didn't really process. "Uh- I- yeah. Yeah, go ahead Flash." As he felt their shared connection fade, he caught himself staring again, this time out at the road. He could recall the events like they'd happened a day ago. Out for a joy ride with his friends. A kid in the road. Trying and failing to stop in time, then-  
Reality slammed into him like a truck as he took a sharp breath. He shook his head and turned to continue walking. The neighborhood bled into all the others: bright houses and perfectly trimmed lawns. Picturesque suburban structure. He felt out of place among the picket fences and perfectly aligned mailboxes that just screamed of forced happiness. Of conformity. 

That was, until he was standing outside of one that was just _slightly_ different from the rest. It was black, with dark windows that had been well-maintained until relatively recently, judging by the dust that had settled. The mailbox said, in big bold letters, **BROCK.** He took a moment to stand outside of it. Now, more than ever, he felt alone. Flash was idle, he was facing one of his biggest fears, and he had nothing to say except try to mend what had been broken since he was born.

He hesitated at the door, just long enough for it to be swung open on its own. Carl Brock stood there, a tad shorter than his son, glaring him down. "Get the hell off my property before I call the police, damn you!" He shouted. Eddie stood there, knuckles still where the door was, before he dropped it. "Hi, dad." He paused again, trying to find the words to convey what he wanted to say. After so long... "Listen, before you start screaming at me, I just wanted to say-"

"You don't get to say _anything_ after you showed up wearing that ridiculous costume and screaming-" Carl jabbed a finger at him, but Eddie quickly cut him off. "That's what I wanted to talk to you-"  
"I will call the police, _Edward!"_ Eddie recoiled slightly. "Can you not-" "Oh, and why is that? Another **warrant** for your _**arrest?"**_  
 _There was a stirring in Eddie's gut. Flash was awake, at least somewhat, but not cognizant enough to understand entirely what was going on. Carl continued his shouting regardless. "Is that why you're here? Need bailing out again?_ Well listen to me, you little-"  
 **"Will you shut the fuck up?! I don't want anything from you!"** Eddie was tired of this, of the yelling and the insults and everything. His voice was double toned, rising above Carl, who recoiled in shock. He took a moment to simmer in the anger in his gut before he forced himself to calm down some. "Alright... Dammit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- just- don't- just don't yell at me, ok?"   
Carl didn't respond, so Eddie took the chance to continue. "Dad, I don't know why I came here last month. I was running away from some... Bad people, and I just sort of woke up here. I was hoping you could tell me-"

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?" Carl retorted, scowl returning. "Edward, let me be very clear about something. _This is not your home._ You have brought nothing but pain and misery and **shame** to this family. This is not a place you can come to for help. I want no part of you or... Or this weird, insane, delusional life you're leading." Eddie was silent now. "You are not my-"

"Please don't say that." Eddie closed his eyes, sighing. All his anger had fell away, and now he just wanted some sort of support. "Please don't say I'm not yours. I know you hate me, but you're all I have. After mom and Anne, I just thought that... Well, we'd never be **good,** but maybe we could-"  
"No. I'm not going to play this insane game with you, Edward." Carl went to shut the door, but Eddie grabbed the edge of the door. "Dad, wait-"  
"Leave, Eddie!" He could feel the stirring again, with Eddie's heartbeat up and anxiety returning full force, as he tried to keep his father from closing the door. "No, dammit, you're going to talk to me or-"

Before he could finish, in one swift motion the door was pushed back open and, before Eddie could react or even register it, he felt his father's fist make contact with his face. He recoiled, crouching down and holding his face with his hands. "Now that's it, Eddie! You get the hell out of here this instant, or I'll make sure you're put away for good this time."  
Eddie felt Flash react, purely on instinct, a mass of writhing tendrils with no distinct form launching from his doubled over form. He tried to stop him, grabbing at the oil slick surface and trying to reign him back. "Flash, no!!" Carl retreated inside, slamming the door as Flash pounded against it, letting out an inhuman growl.

-

Dylan woke up in his bed, and as soon as he tried to think on what his nightmare was about, it slipped from his mind. He sat there for a moment, before hearing yelling. His dad and... Someone else. They never had visitors, so he couldn't guess who it could be. But he grabbed his phone to put on music. It'd block it out until it was over, and he wouldn't get in trouble. That was, until he heard it get worse, over his music. With a sigh, he went to investigate.  
As he got closer, something felt off. His dad was on the phone now, shouting frantically as there was banging at the door behind him. He almost thought to go back to his room, but curiosity got the better of him and he started down the stairs.

"No!!" He heard the second voice as he started to descend the stairs. "Dad? Are you- holy shit!" He pulled off his headset, seeing a man standing over a black mass holding his dad. It was unmistakeable, especially like that, "Is that fucking Venom??"  
The man and Carl drew their attention to him. Dylan paused. "Dylan- run- go-" The man seemed to realize as he spoke. "Did you say... I- I'm sorry, I didn't know." The Symbiote seemed to retract back, as the man stumbled away. Dylan watched him go, in a mix of shock and awe. He knew who he was, now, especially with his dad yelling after him. Eddie Brock. His big brother and... Apparently Venom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've realized Cates likes to use ellipses and cutting people off a lot. Pretty annoying.


End file.
